Ransomware gang reportedly claims responsibility for attack on Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office

A criminal group known for ransomware attacks around the world reportedly has taken responsibility for an August attack on the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office that led to criminal and civil cases being put on hold.

Last weekend, the ransomware gang INC claimed responsibility for the Pennsylvania attack and boasted about stealing 5.7 terabytes of data from the attorney general’s office, Paul Bischoff, editor of Comparitech, reported.

Bischoff has been quoted in the New York Times and the BBC on topics including cybersecurity and privacy.

Last week, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office provided an update on what has happened since the Aug. 11 attack, which the agency said “was the result of a malicious actor encrypting certain files in an attempt to compel our office to make a payment to restore operations. The office has not made any such payment.”

The agency added: “At this time, a few individuals have been notified that their information may have been involved. Our office will continue to make notifications as appropriate.”

A spokesperson for the agency could not be reached for comment Tuesday about the reported claims by the ransomware gang.

On Sept. 12, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Administrative Judge Daniel J. Anders ordered that a previously issued stay on cases be extended for another 30 days.

The stay can be lifted sooner if the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office notifies the court “that its electronic data and network have been restored to allow its attorneys to access litigation data and proceed with litigation,” Anders wrote.

A stay also was extended through Oct. 2 in the federal court that covers Philadelphia.

Cybersecurity experts have reported that INC ransomware attacks emerged in 2023 and have since targeted such victims as the National Health Service of Scotland and Panama’s Ministry of Economy and Finance.